Thai Food Giant Sues Activist Over Invasive Fish Crisis Claims

A prominent environmental activist in Thailand is facing a defamation lawsuit from one of the country’s largest food corporations over allegations linking the company to a devastating invasive fish outbreak. Witoon Lianchamroon, secretary-general of the BIOTHAI Foundation, appeared in court on October 22 to face charges filed by Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), a subsidiary of Thailand’s massive CP Group agricultural conglomerate.

The legal battle centers on claims Lianchamroon made during a July 2024 public conference, where he alleged that CPF’s aquaculture operations contributed to the spread of blackchin tilapia throughout Thailand’s waterways. This African fish species has become an ecological nightmare, rapidly breeding and outcompeting native species across at least 19 provinces. The invasive tilapia thrives in both fresh and saltwater environments, reproduces year-round, and eats almost everything—making it nearly impossible to control once established.

CPF obtained government permits to import blackchin tilapia in 2010, shortly before the first wild populations were detected. At the BIOTHAI conference, Lianchamroon specifically pointed to a CPF facility in Samut Songkhram province and called on the company to take responsibility for the economic and environmental damage caused by the outbreak, which has devastated local aquaculture businesses and disrupted fragile ecosystems.

Environmental advocates view the lawsuit as part of a broader corporate strategy to silence critics demanding accountability for environmental disasters. The case highlights the ongoing tension between industrial agriculture expansion and environmental protection in Southeast Asia, where invasive species introductions continue to cause irreversible ecological damage.